Radiation methods for decontamination of liquid wastes and ecological problems

The authors discuss several possible approaches to the use of radiation for the purposes of rational use of water resources and protecting them from pollution and depletion. The authors note that radiation decontamination makes it possible to solve a number of important problems in protecting fundamental elements of the biosphere by: reducing the uptake of fresh water from natural sources for industrial and household needs and sharply cutting the release of unpurified waste water by creating circulating water systems based on rapid methods of thorough purification; employing a combination of different physical and chemical methods with a final stage that uses radiation-prolonged adsorption to give the water a high degree of purity; preventing bacterial contamination of soils when liquid and semiliquid wastes from cities and livestock farms are used as fertilizers; utilizing the excess active sludges that accumulate in biological treatment factilities as feed additives and fertilizer; and eliminating the release to the atmosphere of effluents from the incineration of highly polluted waste water which often contains carcinogenic and poisonous substances